What True Love Creates
by RicksIlsa
Summary: New summer fic! My idea of what season 2 should be... Charming family reunion, and what happens to the town of Storybrook now that everyone knows who they really are...
1. Chapter 1

A/N: This is the summer fic I've been teasing everyone about! Hope you like it... If you want to see the cool graphic I made for it (as ff . net distorts it as a cover) got to ricksilsa . livejournal . com (without spaces)

Special thanks to my new beta: Written in Dreams

**What True Love Creates**

Chapter One: Reunion

Emma and Henry stood at the hospital window, watching the cloud of purple smoke that engulfed the town below leaving behind…nothing. In a matter of minutes the hospital was full of the stuff; it smelled like…cotton candy and…peaches? Emma shook her head trying to clear the fuzziness, her hand holding Henry's tightly.

As quickly as the smoke came, it left.

She looked around. Nothing seemed to have changed. At least, it didn't look changed. But she could feel something new and warm pulsing in the air around her.

Henry believed it to be evil, but Emma couldn't concern herself with it.

Her son was alive. He was dead…and then alive, all because of her kiss. True love's kiss.

She turned to the nun that hadn't left her side since the curse had been broken and was slightly startled to see her emitting a light blue glow.

"So, 'True Love' doesn't mean romantic love?" Emma asked.

The nun pulled her gaze away from the window and looked at Emma with the pride of a teacher gazing at her prized pupil.

"No. True love can even exist between siblings, friends…I've even seen sworn enemies display its power."

Emma wasn't sure what to say to that.

"So…who are you supposed to be?"

The nun laughed.

"I have many names, but most refer to me as the Blue Fairy."

Emma nodded, slowly.

"Like, from _Pinocchio_? Oh God! August!" She was halfway out the door before coming to a halt and turning to look at Henry. She didn't want to leave him. Ever again if she could help it..

The nun—er, Blue Fairy laughed.

"It's all right, Emma. Pinocchio's father is already with him. Gepetto has reversed his curse, much in the same way you did Henry's."

She nodded, trusting the…fairy's word.

"So, I get how I broke Henry's curse. But I how did I break the Queen's curse?"

"To break the curse, you had to use magic."

"But I didn't use ma—"

The Blue Fairy waved away her protest.

"You have magic in your blood, Emma. All you had to do was believe. And when you did and broke Henry's curse, it caused the Evil Queen's curse to break as well."

The fairy turned away again to stare thoughtfully out the window.

Emma had a million more questions, and was a little irritated that the fairy didn't just explain everything to her. It felt like pulling teeth to get answers…"

"I have mag—" she began again, but was interrupted by an out-of-breath cry.

"Emma!"

Mary Margaret and David—no Snow White and Prince Charming—stood in the doorway looking at her with such intense emotion that Emma automatically took a step backwards.

She could feel the curious stares of everyone in the room examining every move she made.

"It's okay, Emma. They're your parents. They love you, like you love me," Henry said, so softly that she was the only one that heard it.

Emma shut her eyes, desperately trying to process everything she'd learned in the last twelve hours…to make sense of the last twenty-eight years…to reconcile that her friend and roommate was actually her mother and that David Nolan, the sweet but sometimes incredibly stupid, guy who worked at the animal shelter was her father.

"Oh Emma. I know that you're confused and that you have so many questions…"

Emma opened her eyes to see that her parents were slowly moving toward her.

"And I know that this is uncomfortable for you, but I haven't held you in my arms in over twenty-eight years and I'm not waiting another second!"

And then Emma was wrapped in the most soothing embrace she had ever felt in her life.

Her father reached around and pulled Henry in front of her before wrapping his arms around all three of them.

The rest of the world seemed to melt away and Emma allowed herself to just relax for a moment and soak up the new and amazing feeling of being surrounded, literally, by her family.

Snow pulled back a bit and studied Emma's face with wonder-filled eyes. She reached out a hand to wipe at her daughter's face. Emma hadn't even known she was crying, and was startled by teardrops on Snow's hand.

She looked at her father, who also had silent tears running down his cheeks. He smiled at her, but neither one of them attempted to speak.

Henry suddenly let out a choked sob and buried his face in his hands.

Emma and James automatically began looking around the room for what was upsetting him. Neither one of them were very comfortable with all the emotion and so were almost relieved at the thought of a physical enemy they could fight.

But Snow dropped to her knees and pulled Henry to her tightly.

"Shh, it's okay now, Henry. You aren't alone anymore," she whispered soothingly as she gently rocked him.

When Henry could speak, he gave them all a watery smile.

"It's okay, they're happy tears. I just…it's been so long…I wasn't sure it would ever happen. And now it has…and I feel so…full," he tried to explain.

Snow gave him another squeeze and ran a hand through his hair.

"I'm so sorry, Henry. I think back to all the times you tried to tell me what was going on and I…I just dismissed you as a lonely boy with an overactive imagination…" Snow started to cry and this time Henry was the one comforting her.

"It's okay. It wasn't your fault. And you still helped me. You never made me feel foolish or unimportant. I don't know if I could have survived the curse if it hadn't been for you."

Another hug, more tears and apologies…and suddenly there was a scream from the other side of the room.

Dr. Whale had fallen to the floor, shouting, writhing and holding his head in his hands.

Emma looked around for someone to help him, but the "nurses" just stared down at him. Even Snow and Charming seemed hesitant to move closer to him.

"What's wrong? Someone help him!" Emma shouted, dropping to her knees beside the thrashing man and pulling his arms down.

They needed to keep him still so he didn't hurt himself.

A few seconds passed before James came over and helped hold him down. Once they had him still, a nurse came over with a syringe. She looked down at the doctor with distaste.

Emma's hand shot out and grabbed the nurse's arm who gave her a startled look.

"What are you doing? What is that?" Emma demanded, raising her voice to be heard over Whale's shouts.

The nurse sighed.

"It's just a sedative, nothing that will hurt him. Even if he does deserve it," she yelled back.

Emma nodded and let go of her arm. She and James both winced at the "less than gentle" stick that followed.

Barely a minute passed before the doctor relaxed. The shouts turned into quiet murmuring, and though Emma couldn't understand what he was saying, she was pretty sure that she'd heard Regina's name a few times.

She sat back and looked up at the glowing blue nun—fairy.

"What's wrong with him?" she asked, firmly.

"The curse has lifted. Everyone in town will now have two lives fighting for control of one body. Only those secure in who they are will be able to accept what has happened to them."

Her gaze flicked to Snow and James.

"Or those who have an anchor in this world or the other."

"And what about the others? What will happen to them?" Emma demanded, looking at the now-sleeping Dr. Whale.

"They'll go mad." There was a slight smirk on the fairy's face; she was enjoying that Dr. Whale was suffering.

Emma's back stiffened in anger. She looked around at everyone just standing there looking at the sleeping man with looks of distrust and satisfaction.

"We can't just leave him on the floor," she pointed out, shocked as no one in the room would meet her gaze.

"He was a villain, Emma. He made life miserable for many. This is justice—a worthy punishment for an evil man," the Blue Fairy said.

Emma stood and got up into the fairy's face, barely controlled anger blazing in her eyes.

"You are supposed to be good. Good people do not get enjoyment by watching others suffer. Even those that have wronged them. Have you learned nothing from Regina's mistakes?"

The fairy stayed quiet, but did not blink as she gazed right back at Emma.

It was so silent, you could have heard a pin drop.

Emma turned away and looked at James. He nodded and the two of them lifted Dr. Whale and put him in Henry's bed. The nurse that had given him the injection came forward again and looked up at Emma. Silent tears were rolling down her cheeks.

"I'm so sorry, my princess. You are right. Nothing is accomplished by returning evil with evil. I will see that he and everyone else suffering from this malady are well cared for. I swear it." The nurse's right arm crossed her chest in a salute and she gave a quick curtsey before hurrying away, barking orders at the nurses and orderlies.

Emma, stunned by the "my princess" thing looked over at the Blue Fairy again.

"It's time to move you to a secure location," she said, gesturing to Emma, Snow, Charming, and Henry.

Charming and Snow exchanged a brief look.

"Where?" he and Emma asked at the same time.

"Regina has left town. Our people have secured the mayor's mansion. I think it will be the best place for the four of you, for now."

"What? No way in hell—" Emma began.

"It's not for forever, Emma," James said firmly, speaking aloud to her for the first time.

It wasn't the first time she'd ever heard his voice, but he'd been David last time they spoke. Now, he was her father…and his voice was…different. It was strong, and confident. It was the voice of a king, and not one who had inherited a throne, one who had fought for and won it.

Her gaze fell to the floor in silent submission. Five little words, and she felt chastised. Like a little girl who couldn't possibly understand the situation and needed to just be quiet and let the grown-ups handle things.

And then he was standing before her, tilting her chin up to look at him. He took her hands into his and gazed down at her with bright blue earnest-filled eyes.

"Please, Emma. I finally have my family back and whole. I can't even begin to think of what we do next until I know we are all safe. If the Blue Fairy says Regina's house is safe, then we can trust that. I promise we'll figure everything out, but for now, please, just let me keep you safe."

The love and truth in his words filled her with a pleasant warmth, and everyone in the room gasped as Emma began to glow with a soft, golden light.

James kept hold of her hands, but looked to the fairy who was smiling.

"Magic is in her blood. This is proof that it's good magic. It's activated by love," she explained.

"You seem relieved," Emma commented, shrewdly.

The fairy shrugged.

"Rumpelstiltskin is the reason you have magic, and his is evil. I wasn't sure which kind yours would be."

Later that night, Emma stared at the ceiling unable to sleep. Unable to concentrate on anything but the fairy's words repeating in her mind on a never-ending loop.

_"Rumpelstiltskin is the reason you have magic…"_

End Chapter 1


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

3AM- Mayor's Mansion

"Thanks," Emma said, taking the cup of cocoa from Snow White.

It was three o'clock in the morning, and though they were assured of their safety, Emma, Snow, and James had been unable to sleep and were now camped out in Regina's study.

She was curled up on one side of a sofa, while Snow was sitting cross-legged on the other side. James seemed incapable of being still. He went from the window, to the bookshelf, and then to the fireplace. There was a nice roaring fire that cast a comfortable yellow glow on the whole room. It didn't really need tending, but that didn't stop him from poking at it every few minutes.

Emma concentrated on her drink, trying not to notice the looks her _parents_ were giving her. A few moments of uncomfortable silence passed before Emma suddenly put her drink down on the coffee table with a bang.

"I can't take it anymore. I have so many questions…my mind just won't stop," she said, giving them a pained look.

"It's okay, Emma. You can ask us anything," James said, turning away from the fire to give her a reassuring smile.

"What am I supposed to call you?"

Snow laughed.

"Really? The millions of questions driving you crazy, and that's the first you want to ask?"

Emma smiled.

"Well, I keep trying to think things through, but then I stumble in mind over your names…"

"Well, I'm really not Mary Margaret anymore, but you can call me Mary if you're not ready to call me…you know." Mary looked down at her hands.

Emma sighed.

"Look, I don't want to hurt either one of you. I get that you are my mother and father, but it's just so hard to think of you that way," she confessed.

"We understand, Emma. Call her Mary and call me James. It's fine."

She sighed and nodded.

Mary smiled again and reached over to squeeze her hand.

"So much was stolen from us…years…I don't know if I can ever forgive her for taking that away from me. And it's going to be a real adjustment for us too. I feel like you were an infant yesterday and now you're… We'll take things slow."

Emma nodded again, unable to speak around the lump in her throat.

There was suddenly a loud pop, and a pinkish-purple nun-fairy appeared before them. If it wasn't for James's quick reflexes, she would have ended up in the fire.

"Sorry, magic may have come to Storybrooke, but it's very unpredictable," she tried to explain while smoothing her hair down.

"What news?" James asked eagerly.

"We've found as many of the council as we could. Most are all right, and eager to meet. We are spreading the word to gather at noon tomorrow at City Hall. Thomas and Ella wish to be included as well," she reported.

James nodded.

"Of course, they have every right to be there."

The Fairy nodded.

"I must try and get some rest before the meeting."

"Thank you. We'll see you tomorrow," Mary dismissed her.

The fairy gave a kind of curtsey and vanished with another loud pop.

"What's going on?" a sleepy Henry asked from the doorway.

Mary smiled at him and patted the spot next to her. He obediently hopped up onto the couch and leaned against his…grandmother…allowing her to wrap her arms around him. He saw Emma watching and turned so he could rest his feet on her leg.

"We're just talking, Henry. Trying to get caught up," Emma explained.

"Well, I can't sleep either."

They all quietly stared at the fire for a few minutes.

"Tell me a story," Henry said suddenly.

They all looked at him.

"I read the book, but I want to hear it from you too. Please?" he asked, with puppy dog eyes.

Over the next two hours Snow and James told their stories. Even though Emma had known most of it, it seemed different now, knowing that it was her parents that everything had happened to.

By the time they reached Emma's birth, Henry was fast asleep.

"When I realized what I had to do…that I had to give you up to save everyone, I don't think I ever hated Regina more than at that moment," Mary confessed with tears in her eyes.

Emma slipped down to sit in the floor, and leaned her head against Mary's knee. She felt fingers running through her hair, and the next thing she knew, she was waking up, stretched out on the couch with Henry sleeping at her side. Mary and James were standing at the window watching the sunrise, and holding each other close.

Emma snuggled closer to Henry, and fell asleep again.

* * *

12PM City Hall

Emma wasn't sure where they got the big round table, but she decided that she liked it better than the rows of chairs aimed at a podium. It gave the perception that each person had a hand in deciding the fate of their town.

Rather than sitting with her parents, Emma chose to sit next to Granny and Rub—er Red. She had discussed this decision with her parents beforehand. She did not wish to project any kind of "aura" of leadership. In fact, she meant to remain stubbornly silent through the whole thing. But the Blue Fairy kind of ruined that.

The fairy seemed to be the natural overseer of the meeting, and was the one controlling the agenda. First up, accusing Gepetto of ruining everything.

Now Emma wasn't sure if anyone agreed that Gepetto should be punished, as the Blue Fairy obviously did, but she didn't give them the chance.

She was on her feet standing in front of the old man and facing everyone at the table.

"What's done is done. Regardless of what happened, the evil queen was defeated. I lifted the curse just the same as I would have no matter who had come through to this world with me. The only ones who have any right to be upset with him are me and my p-parents…"

She turned to look at the old man with a reassuring smile.

"I'm sorry—" he began, but she shook her head.

"No. Don't be. If I was in your position and that was the only way I could be sure that Henry would be safe, I'd have done the same thing."

A tear slipped from his eye and rolled down his weathered cheek. He knelt before her, grabbing her hand and placing a kiss on the back.

She felt James and Mary move up behind her, and each placed a hand on her shoulder.

"The three of us were the only ones wronged by your decision," James said.

"And we forgive you," Snow finished.

"Thank you," the old man whispered.

James led both Mary and Emma back to their seats and then gestured for Gepetto to take a seat at the table as well.

August caught Emma's eye—she hadn't even noticed that he was there—and winked at her.

"Now that's settled, what's next?" James asked, not looking at the Blue Fairy.

She didn't look upset, but Emma could feel her displeasure over how that had gone.

"Oh, she didn't like that," Granny muttered to Emma under her breath.

"No, she didn't," Emma agreed as the discussion turned toward whether or not they should be attempting to find a way back to their own world.

"I don't know how wise that was, dear," Granny whispered.

Emma turned to her.

"What? Why?" she whispered back.

"Well, let me put it this way: back in our world, there were three powerful magic users. To ensure your safety, you had to pledge allegiance to one of them. Of course the only real choice was between the Blue Fairy and the Evil Queen. It's easy to see why your parents chose the fairy. She's not perfect, but at least she tries to do what's right. The queen on the other hand, well I don't really need to tell you about her, do I?"

Emma shook her head.

"You said there were three. Who was the third?"

"Rumpelstiltskin."

The whispered name made Emma shiver and she looked across the long table to see Mary frowning at her. Time to pay attention.

"Magic is just too unstable here," the Blue Fairy was saying.

"We can't attempt returning home until I've learned to better control it."

James nodded and stood.

"For now we need to adjust to life in this world."

Everyone was nodding and Emma felt relieved. She didn't want to go to this strange land, but she didn't want her family to leave her either.

"I move that Emma Swan takes over as Queen of Storybrooke," Gepetto said, catching Emma off-guard.

"No! I-I can't… I'm sorry, but I'm not ready for something like that," she protested, feebly.

Sean—no, Prince Thomas—stood and all eyes went to him.

"Emma Swan is our savior and protector. She refuses the role of leader, as is her right. I move that James and Snow resume leadership of this town. They led us well once, they'll do so again."

"I second," Leroy—no, Grumpy—stated.

"All those in favor?" The Blue Fairy asked.

The multitudes of "Ayes" echoed through the room.

"All those who oppose?"

Silence.

"Then let it be known, that King James and Queen Snow once again rule our people," she proclaimed.

There was much applause.

After a discussion of arrangements for some sort of "coronation ceremony" to make everything official, the meeting was called to a close.

Emma was exhausted, and just wanted to get home to Henry who was in the care of Dopey of all people.

"Emma, may I have a word?"

She turned to see the Blue Fairy beckoning her to a side room.

Sighing, she followed.

"I know you are eager to return to Henry, so I'll get right to the point. You have magic. But it's new to you, and you need to be trained to use it correctly. I want to begin your training tomorrow…"

"Wow, hold on a second! Yes, okay I probably have some kind of magic, but I have no intention of using it any time soon. Honestly, I don't really want it," she confessed.

The Blue Fairy gave her an indulgent smile.

"Ignoring it, is not going to make it go away."

Emma sighed, tired of everything.

"Well, you said yourself that magic is too unpredictable here. So, maybe you should figure out your own magic before you start 'training' me to use mine."

Again, the fairy didn't look upset, but Emma could feel her disapproval in the air.

"Fine. But you can't put it off forever. The more you suppress it the harder it will try to come out. And you wouldn't want to end up accidentally hurting anyone, would you?"

The two remained locked in a stare for a long moment.

"I'll let you know, when I'm ready," Emma said, finally.

She was no match for the Blue Fairy, and in the end would probably end up having to be trained by her. But she would look into other options first.

Emma left the room and scanned the milling crowd, relieved to find that Red and Granny were still here.

She hurried over to Granny.

"So, why didn't anyone, uh, pledge allegiance to Rumpelstiltskin?" Emma asked her when Red's attention was captured by a blushing Archie—er, Jiminy.

"Oh, well, he can't really be trusted. Always had his own agenda. Evil man…" Granny said, turning up her nose.

"Well, what was his agenda?"

"I don't know. But I'm sure it was evil," Granny said firmly.

* * *

Late that night, Emma found herself tossing and turning again. This was ridiculous. She knew what she had to do, and it was time she stopped putting it off.

She slipped out of bed and pulled her cell phone out of her jacket pocket.

Quickly scrolling through her contact list, she found the name she was looking for and hit "send."

He answered on the first ring.

"I was wondering when I'd hear from you, Dearie."

End Chapter 2

A/N: Would love to hear what everyone thinks so far. Also- please don't expect updates this fast, it will probably be more like a chapter every week and a half to 2 weeks.

Chapter 3 Sneak Peek: Emma has to sneak out of the house, and gets help from someone unexpected... She and Rumpelstiltskin finally meet up... :D


	3. Chapter 3

Okay, so this is coming along faster than I thought it would... :D

What True Love Creates

Chapter 3

Emma found herself walking on tip-toe as she made her way past her parents' room. Absurdly she felt like a teenager sneaking out of the house to meet a boyfriend.

She crept down the stairs as quietly as she could, barely reaching the bottom before one of the faeries came into the hall.

Emma looked around desperately for a hiding place, when a hand suddenly closed around her arm and yanked her into a closet.

James put a finger to his lips, eyes twinkling with amusement in the dim light.

"Front and back exits are being guarded. Our best bet is to go out the window in the dinning room," he whispered.

Emma nodded, and once all was quiet in the hall, the two of them made for the dinning room.

They worked together, distracting the "guards" and getting to the dining room window, as if they'd been doing it for years. Logically, Emma knew that this man was her father, but the more time she spent around him the more her heart began to believe it.

The drop from window to ground was a little farther than Emma had expected, but James had anticipated her fall, and caught her with ease.

"C'mon! We have to get away before they realize the window is open," he whispered, grabbing her hand.

The two sprinted off down the street, putting a few blocks between them and the mayor's mansion before stopping to catch their breath.

James was laughing.

"I can't remember the last time I've had this much fun," he confessed, smiling at her.

Emma grinned back and shook her head at him.

"And just where is King James headed this evening?"she asked, arching a brow.

He shrugged.

"Nowhere, really. Reminders of Regina are all over that house…Snow is finally getting some sleep and I wanted to take a walk to clear my head, but the damn fairies didn't think that would be a good idea. So I did it anyway. Much more fun with an accomplice…" he gave her a sly look.

She smiled and looked down.

"So where is Princess Emma headed?"

Emma groaned at the title, but looked up at him searchingly.

Their lives had been dominated by so many lies over the last 28 years, that Emma just didn't have it in her to do so now.

She sighed.

"I'm going to talk to Rumpelstiltskin."

He didn't say anything, just folded his arms across his chest, tilted his head to the side and raised an eyebrow. Translation: he wanted an explanation.

Emma sighed again.

"Look, I get it. You think he's evil, and I'm not saying that I don't agree, but I have to know all the sides to this story before I can figure out how to proceed."

James remained quiet.

"He's never tried to hurt me, and he has actually helped me out a few times. I owe it to him, to at least listen to what he has to say. He's the one who brought the magic here, maybe he knows the secret to stabilizing it."

It was James's turn to sigh.

"I should go with you…but I'm afraid my presence may not help things. He's always had a way of making me lose control. I don't know that we've had a conversation without me pulling a sword on him…"

Emma smiled at the image his words conjured.

"Come on, my truck's around the corner. I'll drop you off a block away from his house. You have thirty minutes to get back before I go in after you," he warned.

She shook her head as she followed him.

"Give me an hour. I have a feeling that this is going to be a long conversation.

"Okay, one hour."

* * *

Rumpelstiltskin opened the front door just as Emma lifted her hand to knock. She took one look at him and was barely able to stifle a scream.

"Oh my god! What happened to your face?"

It looked almost scaly, and was a greenish gray color.

He glared at her and held a finger to his lips, showing her that it wasn't just the skin of his face that had been changed.

Emma shuddered but followed him into the house obediently when he beckoned. He walked without a cane or a limp.

She had been there once before, but was still distracted by the myriad of odd collections he had. Stuff like what you'd see in his shop covered every available surface. In 28 years he had certainly accumulated a lot of junk.

When she stopped to study a golden lamp, he impatiently grabbed her arm before she could touch it, and pulled her into a study.

The lighting was dim, but she was shocked to see more and more of the changes he had gone through. The most unsettling was his eyes—they were huge!

"All right then, I have used magic to protect this room. We can speak freely without fear of being overheard," he said, squeakily. His hands and arms made exaggerated motions as he spoke.

Emma blinked and shook her head.

"Sorry, not used to you being so…theatrical. Wait, who would overhear us?"

His freakishly large eyes darted up to the ceiling then back to her.

"No one you should concern yourself with," he snapped.

Emma frowned.

"Is this guest of yours the reason you needed the magic I had to slay a dragon for?"

He shook his head and gestured for her to take a seat in one of the chairs in front of a cold dark fireplace while he took the other.

"No, I just needed it before you broke the curse. Otherwise everyone would have returned to the other world when it broke and I'm not ready to go back just yet," he explained, looking pensive.

Emma gathered her anger around her in an effort to push away the confusion and fear of her situation, but before she could speak, he did.

"Don't say something you're going to regret, Dearie. Henry is fine, and was never in any real danger. Yes, I misled you and Regina to get what I needed, but no one got hurt, and I think our fine little town is better off."

Emma deflated a little. She would not have had the slightest interest in slaying that dragon if she'd known it had nothing to do with Henry. But if she had broken the curse before Rumpelstiltskin had retrieved the magic, they could all be in a strange world now.

She shuddered and her companion laughed.

"So bright you are! You have your mother's mind, my dear, and your father's passion!"

He snapped his fingers and suddenly a roaring fire appeared in the fireplace in front of them, and a cup of cocoa with a sprinkling of cinnamon manifested in her hands.

Emma stared at the drink, fascinated.

"Can my magic do that?"

The question slipped out without thought.

He gave her a playful look.

"You mean the Big Blue Mosquito hasn't taught you how to use your magic yet?"

Emma giggled at the nickname and took a sip of her drink.

"She's tried. I just…I don't trust her. And to be quite honest, I don't really want magic."

"Spoken by someone who has never used magic. Once you use it, you'll want it," he said, shrewdly.

Emma just shrugged and took another sip.

"Nothing more to say? Isn't it your questions about magic that prompted you to call me in the first place?"

Emma was taken aback.

"How did you know that?"

"Oh, come now, Princess! That isn't what you came to ask me," he chided.

She glared at him.

"Since you seem to already know what I want to ask, why don't you just answer?"

"But where's the fun in that?"

She stubbornly looked away, downing more of her drink.

He let out a dramatic sigh.

"Fine. The magic I preserved is unique in that is was born of your parents' love, much like yourself. As I was the one who created it, I can easily control it. You should find it even easier to use than I do. As for the fairy pests, they will have quite the time trying to control it. And Regina will find it most unwilling to cooperate should she try to use it."

"Do you think she'll try?" Emma asked, worried.

"She isn't in Storybrooke right now, and therefore cannot access the magic. It will stay within the confines of our town."

She nodded, only slightly reassured.

He watched her quietly for a moment.

"Our time is running short. King Daddy will be here soon to break up our party…you'd better ask what you came to ask."

Emma glanced down at her watch, surprised to see how much time had passed.

"At the meeting today, Granny told me about the magic users: Regina, the Blue Fairy, and you. I don't like or completely trust the Blue Fairy…"

"You could say the same thing about me," he observed, quietly.

"Why did you do it?" she asked him suddenly.

"Why did I do what?" he asked, but it wasn't really a question. It was clear that he knew exactly what she was talking about.

"The curse. You are the one who made it, after all. And you said the reason you had to get the magic out of the dragon before I broke the curse was so that all of you wouldn't return to the other world. What is it? What is your motivation? Why have you done all of this?"

His stare was piercing, but Emma refused to look away or even blink.

"Why would you?" he asked her, finally.

"What do you mean?"

"What is the one thing in all of the worlds that could possibly motivate you to plan, create, destroy, and manipulate as I have?"

A year ago, Emma could have honestly said that nothing was worth all that he had done. But that was before Henry entered her life.

She thought back to the day that Mr. Gold had given her the walkie-talkies for her and Henry to play with. He had warned her then, "_That's the thing about chil__dren. Before you know it, you lose them."_

"You're a father," she guessed, aloud.

He smiled, revealing dirty crooked teeth. It was not a happy smile.

"I will do anything to be reunited with my son. Anything."

Emma nodded.

"He's here isn't he? In this world?" Emma asked, standing up from the chair and walking over to set her empty cup down on a table.

Rumpelstiltskin nodded and turned to look at the fire. All amusement and playfulness had vanished.

"You owe me a favor, Emma. When the time comes, I will need your help to find him," he explained quietly.

She walked back over and stood in front of him.

"You know I would've agreed to help you, even if I didn't owe you a favor."

He didn't say anything.

She sighed and knelt in front of his chair so that they would be eye-level. Her hand covered his as it rested on his thigh.

"I will help you find your son. That is a promise."

He met her eyes and placed his other hand on top of hers.

"And I will help you learn how to use your magic."

Emma smiled and nodded. After all, that was what she had come here to ask.

"Now you must determine how we are to accomplish this."

He pulled his hands back, and Emma stood up.

"Finding your son? Well, first we can—"

"No. Teaching you will take time and it's doubtful we could accomplish anything without attracting attention. What will everyone think when the Savior begins spending time with the evil villain? Do you think your parents would allow it?" he asked, mocking.

"Leave them to me," she said, sounding more confidant than she felt. What was she going to tell Mary and James? And what about the Blue Fairy?

A thump from upstairs made them jump.

Rumpelstiltskin was on his feet in an instant.

"Lovely visit, Princess, but I'm afraid it's time you were off. Wouldn't want Daddy to worry, would we?" he asked, ushering her out.

"Um, okay. Well, I'll call you tomorrow about setting up time for…lessons."

"Sounds wonderful, Dearie, good night!"

And Emma suddenly found herself on his front porch looking at the closed door in shock. She didn't remember walking down the hall or through the doorway…did he "magic" her out there? If so, that was so cool…

She pondered all of the different kinds of magic she might be able to do as she walked back to James's truck. She was so lost in thought that she didn't see the man holding a gun and walking straight at her until he called her name.

"Emma Swan!"

Seeing the gun aimed at her, she stopped and raised her hands.

"This is all your fault!"

"Jefferson?"

End Chapter 3

* * *

A/N: Thanks so much for all the reviews! You guys are awesome! As is my beta, WritteninDreams!

-Let me say right now, this is going to be Emma/Rumpelstiltskin. (Though it will be a little while before any major developments on that front.)

If that squicks you, it might be time to stop...

Chapter Four: Someone gets shot! And Emma tries to help citizens that have not been unable to adjust to the breaking curse. All magic, comes with a price... :-)


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